The Usage of Green Button

[sebberry]

Originally Posted by Peter Zack

Care to expand that? Maybe we can offer some advice.

Excellent post vizjerei

I guess it has to do with my more P&S style of using the camera.

I have a decent understanding of how Av, Tv and TAv modes work, but I have no clue what P mode does.

My limited knowledge of the camera usually flies out the window when I take a photo, but I do find the camera controls themselves very easy and intuitave to use, even if I don't really know how they affect the picture.

[Canada_Rockies]

Originally Posted by sebberry

I guess it has to do with my more P&S style of using the camera.

I have a decent understanding of how Av, Tv and TAv modes work, but I have no clue what P mode does.

My limited knowledge of the camera usually flies out the window when I take a photo, but I do find the camera controls themselves very easy and intuitave to use, even if I don't really know how they affect the picture.

In P (program) mode, the camera sets everything: Shutter speed, aperture and ISO (within the limits you have set). It is different from the green setting on the mode dial in that you can use EV Comp and a few other things that are locked out when in full green mode.

[Peter Zack]

To expand CR's comments on the P mode. A lot of people here don’t use the P mode, but I like it. Most will shoot in Av or Tv modes. P mode is 3 modes in one. Turn it on and hit the green button (unique to Pentax) and the camera sets the controls according to the program line you set in the menu (MTF (best quality from the lens as programmed into the lens chip by the manufacturer, Av priority or Tv priority). If you don’t want the camera to do that, you can then turn the Sv e-dial to adjust the shutter speed to your needs (the camera goes into Sv mode). Or you could adjust the aperture with the other dial and the camera goes into Av mode. To reset the camera, hit the green button and let the camera make the choice.

To me it's a great setting.

[Leaf Fan]

Wow, thanks everybody for that. I had no idea the green button could do so much. All I've been using it for is to reset the auto settings in P mode after I've made an adjustment to the aperture or speed.

[Gulam]

Fantastic Post - I have a K20D and I know what the green button is......

[ezra]

Originally Posted by Dom

Groovy, thanks for that. Didn't know you could quick change the ISO like that.

And here I was going through the Fn button for half a year. Great post, thanks Vizjerei!

[hlpentax]

I just bought a nikon d700 and miss the pentax green button very much. Anyone know if Nikon has an equivalent function?

[Peter Zack]

Yes they do. the way it works is this. First you... hold on a sec the phone is ringing....

[rayallen]

Originally Posted by Peter Zack

To expand CR's comments on the P mode. A lot of people here don’t use the P mode, but I like it. Most will shoot in Av or Tv modes. P mode is 3 modes in one. Turn it on and hit the green button (unique to Pentax) and the camera sets the controls according to the program line you set in the menu (MTF (best quality from the lens as programmed into the lens chip by the manufacturer, Av priority or Tv priority). If you don’t want the camera to do that, you can then turn the Sv e-dial to adjust the shutter speed to your needs (the camera goes into Sv mode). Or you could adjust the aperture with the other dial and the camera goes into Av mode. To reset the camera, hit the green button and let the camera make the choice.

To me it's a great setting.

Peter,
You took the words right out of my mouth. But you probably explained it better than I could have. I totally agree with you. After a lot of testing I find that P mode is now my preferred mode for the reasons you have stated.

And I just love all the things that the GREEN button can do.

[soulman]

so far, i've only used it while my M lenses attached to have an automatic shutter speed, but i know it should have more use. thanks for the post..

[MSM]

Great thread everyone. That is what I love about this site. Always something new. Peter, nice description of the P mode. I have always been an Av user. I should try the P mode more.

[filmamigo]

Originally Posted by hlpentax

I just bought a nikon d700 and miss the pentax green button very much. Anyone know if Nikon has an equivalent function?

Peter Zack, your response made me laugh!

The "green button" is the extra ingredient that makes HyperProgram really sing.

Nikon has a feature identical to HyperProgram -- they call it "Flexible Program", or generically "program shift." But without a green button to reset the Flexible Program settings, it is less useful than Pentax's implementation. When I shot Nikon, I wished for something like a green button reset... when I switched to Pentax, there it was!

To quote the Nikonian's guide to the F5 (most of the modern Nikons are the same):

If you adjust the default pair [aperture/shutter] by rotating the MCD [control wheels] in this mode, you will see a small star (*) to the right of the P in the top LC-Display. Nikon calls this the "Flexible Program". The flexible program stays in effect until:

a) the metering system turns off (after a couple of seconds. The metering system on-time can be set to 4, 8, 16 or 32 seconds via CS #15. I like to save power, so I have it set at 4 seconds while 16 seconds is the default)
b) you change exposure mode
c) you turn off the camera
d) you reset the camera (by pressing the BKT and CSM buttons simultaneously for at least two seconds)

Quoted from: The Nikon F5

I ended up continually turning my Nikon OFF then ON again.

[Peter Zack]

Oh yeah, I'm off the phone now.

Well I noticed the Pentax hyper program coming to other brands over the years, Pentax was first (again) to introduce a great feature set and still have the better method of doing it.